Method for heating crude

Abstract

A method for heating one or more streams from a refinery process, chosen from the group of a crude tower inlet, vacuum tower inlet, catalytic reformer inlet, coker inlet, thermal cracker inlet and hydrocracker inlet. The method includes transferring, in a heat exchanger, heat from one or more streams from a petro-chemistry process, chosen from the group of a steam cracker charge gas, propane dehydrogenation charge gas and butane dehydrogenation charge gas to said one or more streams from a refinery process for obtaining one or more heated streams in which the temperature of said one or more streams from petro-chemistry process is above the temperature of said one or more streams from a refinery process before said step of heat exchanging has taken place.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for heating one or more streams from a refinery process, chosen from a crude tower inlet, a vacuum tower inlet, a catalytic reformer inlet, a coker inlet, a thermal cracker inlet and a hydrocracker inlet, said method comprising a step of transferring, in a heat exchanger, heat from one or more streams from a petro-chemistry process, chosen from a steam cracker charge gas, a propane dehydrogenation charge gas and a butane dehydrogenation charge gas to said one or more streams from a refinery process for obtaining one or more heated streams, wherein the temperature of said one or more streams from the petro-chemistry process is above the temperature of said one or more streams from a refinery process before said step of heat exchanging has taken place,
 wherein the crude tower inlet is heated by transferring, in a heat exchanger, heat from the steam cracker charge gas to said crude tower inlet for obtaining a heated crude tower inlet. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace, wherein said step of additionally heating takes place after transferring heat from steam cracker charge gas. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace, wherein said step of additionally heating takes place before transferring heat from steam cracker charge gas. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum tower inlet is heated by transferring, in a heat exchanger, heat from said steam cracker charge gas to said vacuum tower inlet for obtaining a heated vacuum tower inlet stream. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the temperature at an inlet of said heat exchanger is at least 10° C. higher than the temperature at an outlet of said heat exchanger. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein temperature of said at least one or more streams from the petro-chemistry process is in the range of from 350° C. to 600° C. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the temperature at an inlet of said heat exchanger is at least 10° C. higher than the temperature at an outlet of said heat exchanger. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the temperature at an inlet of said heat exchanger is at least 10° C. higher than the temperature at an outlet of said heat exchanger. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the temperature at an inlet of said heat exchanger is at least 10° C. higher than the temperature at an outlet of said heat exchanger. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the temperature at an inlet of said heat exchanger is at least 10° C. higher than the temperature at an outlet of said heat exchanger. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein temperature of said at least one or more streams from the petro-chemistry process is in the ranges range of from 350° C. to 600° C. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein temperature of said at least one or more streams from the petro-chemistry process is in the ranges range of from 350° C. to 600° C. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 4 , wherein temperature of said at least one or more streams from the petro-chemistry process is in the ranges range of from 350° C. to 600° C. 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said step of heating further comprises a step of additionally heating said crude tower inlet in a crude furnace.